As enchantingly elusive and secretly shy as the fantasies she so seamlessly cosplays, Elise Laurenne is a hybrid of warmly approachable mortality and ethereal phantasmagoria.
With all the mystery of a seductive wraith fading right before your very eyes, like the whispering tendrils of a lost memory, a trotting doe darting away so suddenly after a hunter’s beckoning, she nonetheless digs her haunting claws in with a skittering thrill.
My brand is best described as an energetic trainwreck wrapped up in pretty lingerie or a costume, haha.
For she is a sorceress conjuring the thrumming mythos of anime and gaming greatness, spinning whirlwind webs in a motley of personas, from World of Warcraft’s Lady Sylvanas Windrunner to Lucy from “Elfen Lied” (her very first).
Heralds spanning BlizzCon and New York Comic Con, to list a fractal fraction of the unconventional conventions she graces, trumpet her mesmerizing marvels.
Dazzlingly, she co-hosted the 2019 XBIZ Cam Awards alongside Ella Silver, radiating magical faerie dust like a witch’s familiar, as she cast spells across the gathered coven … before seizing the darkling crown of Best Cosplay Cam Model that very eve.
Now, she is enshrined as a Cam Star of the Month, the finery of her feminine majesty embroidered with digital ink upon the imperial tapestries of these magisterial pages.
Trace your fingers across this written wizardry, thine eyes ensorcelled by these symbols rendered into meaning by literary covenant, yet drawn inexorably to her magnificent form which, like intoxicating heaven, can never fully slake that ravenously abyssal thirst.
XBIZ: How did your experiences growing up as a small town girl in Canada, working as a welder in a factory and attending a university ultimately influence your approach to career camming? As far as perspective, previously acquired skills, etc.
Laurenne: What influenced me the most was going to conventions and meeting people that inspired and gave me the opportunity to model.
I would consider coming from a small town and working in a factory an obstacle in my life, as it was hard to work on cosplay and modeling while in the middle of nowhere and working a 9 to 5 with an extra two hours of traveling to work.
In my town, I also didn’t have access to a lot of cosplay material. At the time, it was impossible to order cosplay supplies over the internet, and I didn’t have a lot of money. So it was challenging, but I am passionate about cosplay, so I made it work.
XBIZ: Of the many video game, comic book and anime characters you have cosplayed, which ones resonated the most deeply with you, where it felt like you're almost bringing a part of your soul to life?
Laurenne: My very first cosplay resonated with me. When I was young, I decided to finally cosplay after seeing cosplayers at Toronto Fan Expo. I’ve been going to that convention ever since with my father.
I decided to cosplay as Lucy from Elfen Lied, which is one of the animes that got me into “serious” anime. I’ll admit the cosplay was horrible, but it means a lot to me because it was my first and Lucy is still one of my favorite anime protagonists.
XBIZ: What costumes have required the most time and resources to craft, when it comes to makeup, materials, custom tailoring and such? Take us through the specifics of the various moving parts and techniques required to plan, create and perform.
Laurenne: My Sylvanas cosplay by far required the most material and time. It consisted of materials I have never worked with such as LEDs, casting and molding, and 3D modeling. I’m pretty confident with sewing and foam crafting, but it took a while to get used to LEDs.
That costume was definitely a learning experience. It was too heavy to wear for a long period of time, so I only cosplayed for a couple hours before taking it off at BlizzCon. It was by far my most complicated and painful cosplay.
XBIZ: How do you decorate your cam room in a way that is fresh and engaging, while authentically you?
Laurenne: I like to keep my cam room pretty minimal so I can move around quite a bit. I have games set up in the background, but still very minimal.
I usually like to keep fairy lights in the background to make it more aesthetically pleasing, and my Jamie Tyndall and Sakimichan prints framed on my wall. I like to frame artwork of characters I’ve cosplayed in the past.
XBIZ: What is the "Elise Laurenne" brand in a nutshell, in terms of your stage name's origins and how your most loyal fans would describe your personality?
Laurenne: My brand is best described as an energetic trainwreck wrapped up in pretty lingerie or a costume, haha. My stage name is pretty simple, I kept my first name and my friend at the time, Vera Bambi, came up with Laurenne because the domain “EliseLauren.com” was already taken.
A lot of people think I’m French because of Laurenne, but in reality I’m just British and Irish. The fans who’ve been with me the longest would probably describe me as annoyingly energetic and outspoken, but very caring.
XBIZ: Any particular video games or anime shows that you're super into right now, that you haven't explored yet via cosplay, and are eyeing for future inspiration?
Laurenne: A video game that I’m really into right now is WoW Classic. It was just released and it’s inspired me to do another WoW cosplay. I’ll probably do a blood elf for BlizzCon. As for anime, Demon Slayer has taken over my life. There’s this adorable character Nezuko I really want to cosplay, I’m just not sure what con I’ll wear it to.
XBIZ: Which cam models, cosplayers and clip artists truly inspire you professionally, and which ones are real-life besties?
Laurenne: I admire a ton of people in my industry! First person that comes to mind in the cosplay cam world is Catjira. Her videos are incredible, you can tell how much work she puts into them. Personally, I’m not very good at videos, just live streaming. So, I admire her a lot for that.
As for cosplayers, Jenna Meowry is absolutely killing the game right now with her Patreon. Her costumes are so sexy, yet so well made — she executes every character perfectly. I’m pretty good friends with both of those women, but the most important person in my life that inspires me every day is Ella Silver.
Her work ethic and how she handles herself is so inspiring, I’m proud to call her my best friend. I’m so glad I have someone like her I can talk to every day, she’s helped me through a lot.
XBIZ: What was it like participating in XBIZ Miami this year, co-hosting the XBIZ Cam Awards and winning the Best Cosplay Cam Model trophy?
Laurenne: Co-hosting the XBIZ Cam Awards was absolutely amazing. It was such an amazing project to work on. Shooting the promo video was an incredible experience too. I’ve never been in a Lambo or even been to Miami prior to shooting the video.
I met so many people, and actually became best friends with Ella because of XBIZ this year. Winning Best Cosplay Cam Model honestly came as a complete shock.
XBIZ: Any grand plans for finishing off 2019 with a bang and aiming ever-higher in 2020?
Laurenne: I plan on focusing on one costume for BlizzCon in November, after camming quite a bit in October. The costume I’m working on for BlizzCon is a secret, but with the experience I gained from cosplaying Sylvanas I believe this costume will be much better, and definitely more comfortable.
I’ll be releasing a bunch of cute cosplay photos on my OnlyFans after doing a couple cosplays on cam in October. In 2020, I plan on hiring professionals to shoot some content for MFC Share. As a cam girl, something I lack a lot is creating videos. That’s something I want to work on and perfect in 2020.
